Actor Vinnie Jones is battling skin cancer. The former soccer star has had several tumours removed from his face and the back of his head, but has vowed to fight the disease. He blames his sporting career for the illness as soccer players rarely wear sunblock when on the field, and he is urging athletes to start taking care of their skin. Jones, who reveals his wife Tanya is also suffering from skin cancer, tells British newspaper The Sun on Sunday that he first noticed a blemish beneath his eye in February and it was subsequently diagnosed as melanoma. He says, “When the doctor said I had skin cancer, the first thing I thought was, ‘How long have I got?’. It’s weighing very heavily on me all the time.” Jones is now spearheading an awareness campaign for the Melanoma Research Foundation, adding, “Footballers never put on sunblock and they should all be wearing it. Kids should all be wearing it every time they play sport. “If you spot something on your skin that doesn’t feel right… get it checked out immediately.” Jones isn’t the only celebrity to go public with his skin health issues – on Thursday, Wolverine star Hugh Jackman revealed doctors had discovered a cancerous growth on his nose.